RK ARCHIVE - PA: Clinton Blows Filing Deadline

The actual presidential primary is a mere beauty contest - voters actually vote for delegates in each congressional district who are pledged to each candidate. See the link:

Across the state, the Clinton campaign failed to file complete slates of delegates, and, as a result, came up short by 10 or 11 delegates statewide. Essentially, the Clinton campaign ceded 10% of the delegates to the Obama campaign that are up for grabs on primary day.

Comments

This is a mere technicality. (Randy Klear - 2/20/2008 4:56:03 PM)

While it doesn't speak well for Clinton's organization in PA, it doesn't really matter. Under DNC rules, the Clinton delegate vacancies can be filled after the fact. Clinton is not conceding any delegates to Obama.

Think about Virginia for a minute. We elected state delegates in our primary, and the application process for those delegates is just starting now. Those state delegates will elect our national delegates in May and June. Nobody was filed before the primary, yet everybody is pledged.

PA Different From VA (Flipper - 2/20/2008 6:02:11 PM)

Pennsylvania is different from VIrginia.

In Pennsylvania, in addition to the names of the presidential candidates, the actual names of the delegates pledged to each candidate are also on the ballot in each. The popular votes does not designate delegates, the delegates are elected on their own.

So having said that, Clinton has 2 delegates she failed to file in Philadelphia. So if this occurred in one CD and the CD has had 4 delegates allocated to it, Obama will pick up two off the bat.

Please try to get your facts straight before posting this stuff. (Randy Klear - 2/20/2008 6:30:22 PM)

In particular, read the Pennsylvania Delegate Selection Plan, with special reference to paragraph III.A.6.c, on page 6 of the document (page 9 of the PDF), which describes how to fill vacancies if a presidential candidate "fails to slate a sufficient number of delegates and or alternate delegates".